


The Truth of Family

by Kalira



Category: Naruto
Genre: Adopted Children, Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Naruto Founders Week, Naruto Founders Week 2020, parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:14:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26920468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalira/pseuds/Kalira
Summary: After facing down a rude little Senju, Kagami gets a gentle reminder that while his family may not be the one he was born to, or look like everyone might expect, he is not and never will be without them.
Relationships: Senju Tobirama & Uchiha Kagami & Uchiha Madara, Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Madara
Comments: 31
Kudos: 294
Collections: Founders Week 2020, Kalira's Founders Week Stories (2020)





	The Truth of Family

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Founders Week](https://foundersweek.tumblr.com/post/625374897835786240/hi-all-founders-week-2020-is-just-around-the), Day 6: Family

Tobirama didn’t allow himself to react much outwardly, but his eyes narrowed as he put a little more chakra into his senses, mentally tracking down the sad little spark of. . .

He frowned, jaw tightening and fingers twitching on the surface of his desk as he leaned forwards a little. The meeting wrapped up incredibly quickly after that, and Tobirama was faintly aware it was likely because he had looked _deeply_ displeased and no one wanted to risk drawing his ire onto themselves. He couldn’t quite bring himself to care, just now.

Tobirama slipped out the window and sprinted across the village, cursing quietly that there were no hiraishin markers near the sad little spark of chakra as he arrowed towards it. He kept intending to place more all around the village, but had yet to find the time.

It still took very little time for him to cross the village, and while there was no outward sign of anything but greenery here, even to a ninja’s eye. . .

Tobirama knelt and swept away a prickly branch, revealing Kagami tucked into a tight ball almost at the heart of the shrub.

“Kagami.” Tobirama called gently, and he jumped, lifting his head to look at Tobirama.

His flushed, teary face was hardly a surprise with the sorrowful turmoil tangling up his chakra, but Tobirama’s heart ached at the sight all the same.

“What happened?” Tobirama asked, settling a little lower on the ground when it appeared Kagami was not planning to emerge from his hiding place. He shoved the branch a little further, absently pinning it out of the way with a kunai.

It took a few more minutes and sniffling, choking breaths before Kagami finally offered words.

“Ha- Haruto.” Kagami said, and Tobirama repressed a frown. Haruto was a Senju boy Kagami’s age - one of the thankfully now few children of Tobirama’s clan who it seemed were still holding to the loathing of the Uchiha that had for so long been trained into the Senju children as they grew.

“Did you have a fight?” Tobirama asked carefully. Kagami was unhurt, so far as he could tell, at least bodily.

“No.” Kagami said, and Tobirama edged closer as he ducked his head. “It wasn’t- I did what Hikaku-sama said I should. . .”

Tobirama nodded. Hikaku’s advice was generally sensible; he wouldn’t have feared the result had he known Kagami was following it. Unlike, say, Izuna, who _meant_ well but whose judgement was sometimes . . . questionable.

“We’ve- It hasn’t been so bad?” Kagami said uncertainly, which made Tobirama grit his teeth. _Not so bad_ was not what he would have liked to hear, even if it were the worst of things today - which it was clearly not, with Kagami hiding, _crying_ , after some sort of confrontation with the other boy.

“Haruto said it was a _shame_ ,” Kagami said, and Tobirama did frown then, “that I- I have no _family_. That after my parents. . .”

Tobirama bared his teeth reflexively, but quickly brought the reaction under control, gently soothing Kagami and coaxing him to share more details of the altercation, a piece at a time. As Tobirama listened, a corner of his mind was working again at the issue of how to go about settling the Senju and Uchiha children - the others of the village as well, but their clans were the most animous - to be more . . . accepting of one another, if not _friendly_.

“And I couldn’t- He’s _right_ and I don’t even remember them very well any more,” Kagami wailed quietly, “all my family are _dead_ and I don’t have any-”

Tobirama hid a wince as Kagami choked on his words. Tobirama knew it was unusual among the Uchiha, that Kagami had no extended family to take him in when his parents were killed, and it had left him in some ways more groundless and clingy - but the clan had taken care of him, nevertheless.

And Kagami was _not_ alone, and not only because the Uchiha would never abandon or neglect an orphan of their clan. Not by tradition, and certainly not under Madara’s leadership.

“I just wish- I couldn’t even _say_ anything to Haruto when he. . . I _don’t_ have a family.” Kagami sobbed quietly. “I love my clan, but-” His words fell off into little hitching breaths, and Tobirama leaned closer.

“Oh, Kagami. . .” Tobirama crooned soothingly, holding out his arms. Kagami sniffled, face wet, and then crawled out of the shrub into his arms. Tobirama gathered him into an embrace, rocking him. “Do you not realise that _we_ are your family?” he asked softly.

Kagami tensed suddenly in his arms, and Tobirama rubbed his back, resting his chin atop Kagami’s fluffy head. Kagami sniffled, cuddled close against his chest, and Tobirama repeated the assertion firmly. Kagami squirmed, tipping his head back. Tobirama allowed it, loosening his grip, looking down at Kagami with a soft smile, stroking his cheek and wiping away an eyelash stuck in one of the tear tracks on his cheek.

“I- You-” Kagami gave a little sob and fell silent, eyes wide.

Tobirama hugged him tighter again, crooning. “You’re _ours_ , my little sparkling. Do you think your Mada-shishou could love you any more if he had sired you himself?” he added lightly.

Kagami giggled a little wetly, and Tobirama retrieved his kunai from the shrub, then rose carefully, Kagami still in his arms. He was a little big to be carried this way, but Tobirama could haul Madara - or Hashirama, for that matter - around in his arms when he needed to; the slightly awkward, gangly bundle of his little one cradled to his chest was easily manageable.

Tobirama considered the distance between here and home - and what was along that path - and murmured a warning to Kagami before he reached for the marker hidden on the lintel of his home with a flare of controlled chakra. Tobirama would have hated like poison to be seen in this condition when he was Kagami’s age - not that he would be much happier about it now - and given Tobirama had an easy way to spare him that. . .

Tobirama opened the door, extending his senses absently. He found Madara in the kitchen - a moment later Tobirama smelled something rich and gingery cooking, and smiled - his chakra calm, wound through with thoughtful, content notes.

Tobirama called out a greeting, leaving his sandals and Kagami’s by the door without actually putting him down. Madara called back, but didn’t emerge, and Tobirama wandered that way, patting Kagami’s back.

The moment Tobirama stepped through the door Madara turned towards them with a smile, but it wavered as his eyes landed on Kagami. “What happened?” Madara demanded, eyes narrowing, darting up to meet Tobirama’s.

Tobirama gave him a meaningful look - he would tell Madara everything later, when Kagami was not listening - but shook his head. Madara glowered, crossing to them and running a hand over Kagami’s shoulders, down his back.

“What’s wrong, darling?” Madara asked, plucking Kagami from Tobirama’s arms and hugging him close. He shook his head and didn’t answer.

Tobirama rubbed his back. “Someone forgot that Kagami has us.” he said, voice low, and Madara’s scowl darkened. “Not only your clan,” Madara made a face, and Tobirama’s lips twitched with amusement; whatever Madara’s impassioned words and devotion, and no matter their relationship, _no one_ other than Madara himself was quite ready to call Tobirama one of the Uchiha, “but our,” he paused, “ _family_.”

“Idiots abound.” Madara said, and Tobirama snickered, startled.

Kagami hummed, wiggling a little. “Tobi-sensei says that a lot.”

“Your Tobi-sensei is often correct.” Madara told him dryly. Kagami wriggled. “ _You_ won’t ever be one, right?” he said with a mock-stern frown, and Kagami paused, then sniffed, ducking his head. “. . .Kagami?”

Tobirama squeezed his shoulder soothingly. “It was very rough. Kagami forgot, too, for a little while.” He bent closer, cupping Kagami’s chin with one hand and meeting his eyes. “It is understandable.”

“Hmph.” Madara said, arms tightening. “You’re _ours_ , darling; no matter what idiots remember - or say - that will never change.”

Tobirama felt a surge of fondness for Madara, heart squeezing. Bless his incredibly intuitive, empathic lover for his cleverness. Kagami was looking up at Madara with a wondering, almost worshipful expression, clearly even further reassured by those words - and offered as they had been without his being told how Kagami had struggled with uncertainty or what exactly Haruto had said.

Kagami seemed inclined to cling to Madara, and Tobirama ruffled his hair affectionately before going to take charge of the meal Madara had been cooking. Madara came over to check on him - Tobirama gave him a dubious look, and he laughed - kissing his cheek before taking Kagami to clean up a little.

He was no longer nearly so upset, but he stayed very near them for the rest of the day, and Tobirama was not surprised when he cosied up snugly between them on the couch after dinner with only the vaguest of inviting gestures required. Tobirama dipped his head, not bothering to hide his smile as he felt the warmth of contentment practically bleeding off Madara. He knew it was having them both close that had done it, on top of what had been - other than Kagami’s upset - a rather positive week. At least for Madara; while things had been going smoothly for his lover, Tobirama had fought three committees and nearly strangled half a dozen representatives in the past four days.

Kagami snuggled closer against his side and Tobirama sighed, realising he had tensed up. He stroked Kagami’s hair and consciously relaxed. They discussed their plans for the next day, then lapsed into silence, Tobirama flipping absently through a book and Madara still, eyes closed, as he relaxed into the corner of the couch.

“Tobi-sensei?” Kagami said quietly after some time, and Tobirama hummed an invitation, putting the book aside to focus on Kagami fully and not ceasing his gentle petting. “What you said earlier. . . Is. . . Is it bad that. . .”

Kagami tucked his face down further and Tobirama crooned, pausing to squeeze the nape of his neck before returning to his hair, lips pursing in curious thought. “Sometimes I wish you and Mada-shishou were my parents really. Or. . . I know you said. . .” He peeked up, that faint look of wonder in his eyes again. “You said you _are_ ,” he bit his lip, “sometimes I wish, erm, you always had been.”

It took Tobirama a moment to parse Kagami’s half-mumbles, and he startled when he did.

“Of course it isn’t bad, little one.” Madara said, and Kagami gave a little yelp of surprise; Tobirama guessed he’d thought Madara was asleep. Madara pushed up on his elbow, moving closer and patting Kagami soothingly. “I want you to remember that you are as much ours as if you _had_ been born to us, mm?”

As impossible as _that_ path might have been, it was most certainly true that Kagami was _theirs_ , however he had come to them. Tobirama squeezed Kagami’s shoulder as he wriggled, biting his lip, and Madara shifted a little more, not quite squashing Kagami between himself and Tobirama. He stroked Kagami’s side soothingly, smiling at his lover, and Madara bowed his head, resting his brow against Tobirama’s.

“. . .mean it?” Kagami asked, a little sleepily, and they reassured him again, keeping him cosily secure between them.

“Of course, sparkling.” Tobirama murmured, meeting Madara’s dark eyes with a smile.

Kagami made a contented noise and Madara murmured soothing nonsense to him until he sagged even further in his snug place between them, his head dipping to rest on Madara’s chest. Tobirama reached out and Madara linked their fingers, smiling slightly.

They would need to take Kagami to bed soon - he had already stayed up late - but for now. . .

Tobirama folded his legs up a little more comfortably, tucked up with his family.


End file.
